Why Mike Brown has added to Stuart Lancaster’s headache

Mixed night: Mike Brown charges through the Northampton defence but he ended the match in pain

Mike Brown has recovered from a leg injury to play for Harlequins in a match of huge significance for both club and country.

England’s outstanding player this season fell heavily onto concrete at the side of the pitch during the 18-10 loss to Northampton in the Amlin Challenge Cup semi-final on Friday and will not train fully until later this week.

However, he will face Exeter on Sunday as will fly-half Nick Evans, who missed the Cup defeat with a calf strain and both men are key to Quins’ hopes of victory at Sandy Park.

A win would keep the club’s bid for a top-four finish alive but that would be bad news for Stuart Lancaster, who is trying to formulate his England squad for the three Tests against New Zealand this summer. Quins are fifth in the Premiership, six points behind Leicester and Bath with two regular-season games left — the final one is against Bath.

The play-off final is on May 31 and that date is crucial to Lancaster as any of his squad playing in that match will not be considered for the First Test in Auckland on June 7.

If Quins do not make the final, Lancaster will be able to select Brown, captain Chris Robshaw, scrum-half Danny Care and loose-head Joe Marler — players who can provide a vital backbone in a new-look side.

Quins director of rugby Conor O’Shea insists his men are solely focused on making it into the final four after the set-back of last week’s Cup loss.

He said: “Fortunately, we have nine days before the Exeter match to recover. We know what we need to do and what we need to do to get in the top four and you never know, you get another play-off.

“A loss is only damaging if you let it be damaging. People think sport is about this upward curve and you never get blips or disappointments but without this the emotion of the wins would never be as high.”

Lancaster’s nightmare scenario is a Saracens versus Northampton play-off final as he would have to leave up to 17 players behind when the plane departs for Auckland. The picture will be only slightly better if either Bath or Leicester battle through to the season finale at Twickenham.

The England head coach already knows he will be without Exeter wing Jack Nowell who needs surgery to solve a nagging knee problem as well as treatment on a shoulder injury. He will not be rushed back with the World Cup looming next year.

London Irish are reportedly interested in signing New Zealand fly-half Chris Noakes from Super Rugby’s Blues with Exiles No10 Ian Humphreys likely to be heading back to Ulster this summer.